LIFE IS GOOD AT THE BEACH

 For this post, I am going back to the day Sharon arrived from Northern Ireland and  also to tell you a  little about Appley Tower (requested by another blogger).  This sign was up on a little cafe just overlooking the Appley beach. 

This is the view from the table I was sitting at and you can see Appley Tower in the middle of the shot.  Appley tower is situated East of Ryde and can only really be qualified as an interesting curiosity and conversation piece.  It was originally part of the Appley Towers estate being the seat of the Hutt family and latterly of that of Sir Hedworth Williamson.

 The estate is no longer there.  It is right on the water's edge and at the headland.  Appley Tower It is the only survivor of the estate today.   It is Grade 2 listed building, early to mid C19.  

It has a fairly squat tower of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings. Splayed base, machicollation and crenellatedparapet, corbelled turret with slit lights.  Towards the sea, there is a rectangular stone bay window with inclined face, on stone brackets.  Hipped tiled roof over with overhanging bracketed eaves. Stone steps with rubble parapet curve up from East side to asmall terrace in front of rectangular entrance bay facing South. Four centred arch to blocked door in ashlar surround. 

Above on wall a plaque with the Appley Arms. Below terrace, on ground floor, another 4 centred doorway in plain ashlar surround.

Local legend claims that this Victorian gothic construction was erected for the amusement of Mary of Teck who married King George V. Her previous fiance, George's elder brother Albert Victor, died shortly after their engagement aged twenty-eight and Mary, perhaps unwilling to let the crown of England escape her, married George as the next heir. 

Finding Osborne House tiresome she often escaped to Appley Towers while her husband was busy sailing. Unsurprisingly this gave rise to speculation as to her relationship with the owner.

While waiting for Sharon to arrive at the ferry terminal at the end of the pier, I saw Black headed Gulls and these 2 Little Egrets.

 Before Sharon's ferry arrived, the Hoovercraft came in, right up the sand.  I have a short video at the end regarding this and the pier's train.

At last, Sharon's Ferry arrived and Sharon was all smiles as she set foot on the Isle of Wight for the first titme.

Later that evening, we took a walk and these 2 photographs were the sunset.

This was a moon that evening.

The short video can be accessed at 

  http://youtu.be/eLr2YXC_KAo

If there is a black space below,click it and the video will appear.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you will visit again soon.

Thanks to all bloggers with answer to my unknowns and corrections especially to Trevor from The Herald who has helped and encouraged me a lot.